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A brief conversation with Rob Foster about the old Bainbridge & DMC hill climb (in the news pages of this issue) which used to be run after the local show as part of the evening entertainment – it fizzled out a few years ago – got me thinking while in The Basement. In the glory days of motorcycling, motor clubs were the focal point for everyone with an interest in the scene and took a much more active role in the community with reports of their activities in the local press. In those days the local show would be much more high profile too and all sorts of clubs and societies would have displays, events and the like to show what they were all about and have a chance to chat with ‘the public’ and maybe get a few more members. My home town, Consett, always had a show in August on the fields by the rugby club and it generally had a grass track race on an oval circuit. This was serious business and a real race but it was so impromptu that I don’t remember there being much in the way of run-off areas or crowd control – and there was a crowd to control – but I do recall it being popular. I also remember it would rain quite often, so much so that in the 1976 drought it was joked the rain would come as soon as Consett show opened. A mile or two away in Shotley Bridge, the Spa was the location for more grass track by Consett and DMC, this one ended long before my time but there are pictures somewhere and a film. Anyway, I can’t imagine Consett and Bainbridge being the only two areas where this sort of thing happened, so, if your area had a summer show with a grass track as part of the displays then let us know. If there are pictures then it’ll make a great feature. Tim.